1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording control method for controlling the recording of data supplied from a host device, such as a computer, onto a recording medium using a recording device, such as an optical disk recording and reproduction device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Disk players in which signals are read from a disk using an optical pick-up are widely used. More recently, optical disk recording and reproduction devices equipped with, in addition to a reproduction function, a recording function for recording a signal to a disk using a laser from an optical pick-up have been introduced into the marketplace. Some of these optical disk recording and reproduction devices are adapted to signal disk recording at a speed twice, four, six, eight, and even twelve times a standard speed.
A typical optical disk recording and reproduction device adapted to high speed recording comprises a memory, or a buffer, for temporarily storing recording data, or a recording signal from a host device, and has a structure in which the recording data is read from the memory to be recorded onto a disk.
An optical disk recording and reproduction device having a buffer memory has a structure in which recording data stored in the buffer memory is read to be recorded onto a disk. However, at a high disk recording speed, the storage of new recording data supplied from a host device in the buffer memory may not keep pace with the reading of data from the buffer memory. This is commonly referred to as buffer underrun. Buffer underrun may cause problems such as interruption of a disk recording operation due to a lack of recording data or other errors.
In order to address this problem, it has been proposed that a buffer memory be given a larger capacity. However, memory capacity is subject to limitation, and, even when possible, enlargement of memory capacity increases the cost of the memory, and of the device. Also recently, optical disk recording and reproduction devices have been developed which can record recording data so as to succeed to the recorded data even though disk recording should be discontinued due to lack of recording data.
Another new technology has been developed to prevent buffer underrun by temporarily storing recording data, or a recording signal, in a temporary storage region provided on a computer hard disk or other host device, and then reading therefrom the stored recording data to be sent to an optical disk recording and reproduction device. Such a technology, however, has a problem that a temporary region, referred to as a host buffer memory, may not have sufficient capacity as it is provided on a hard disk where the computer operating program software and other data are other data are stored. Even more disadvantageous is that this configuration may require a longer recording operation time because recording data is first stored in a host buffer memory before being read therefrom to be supplied to an optical disk recording and reproduction device.
The present invention is directed to providing a recording control method capable of addressing the above described problems.
According to the present invention, recording data, or a recording signal for transmission to a recording device, supplied from a host device having a host buffer memory for temporary storage of recording data is recorded into a recording medium using the recording device. In particular, determination is made as to whether or not the recording device has a buffer underrun prevention function. When it is determined that the device has such a function, recording data is supplied directly to the recording device without being stored in the host buffer memory.